Nominations: Nominations closed
Voting: Voting closed
Election
You will lead the Union’s Disabled Students’ Network in continuing to build an engaging, dynamic, and rewarding community of disabled students and make sure that the Network caters to and is inclusive of all its members. Represent the collective interests and needs of disabled students to decision-making bodies within the Union. Working alongside and supported by the Equity & Inclusion Officer, represent these collective interests to UCL and beyond.
To vote for this position, you must self-define as a student with a disability.
Category
Candidates
I would bring strong organisational and leadership skills as a youth engagement member of Bart's NHS Trust I have been advising the trust for the past 3 years. Including, advice on making patient experience more accessible to neurodivergent individuals. Additionally, I have a strong commitment to community-building. I enjoy creating inclusive spaces where people feel supported, through social events, structured initiatives, or collaborative projects. My ability to engage with diverse groups and facilitate discussions would help foster a more connected and active Disabled Students’ Network.
If elected, a key focus is campus accessibility. With ongoing refurbishment project at UCL, I want to accessibility measures put into place from now. Another important focus is increasing accessibility in sports and physical activity. I want to work with Team UCL and Project Active to improve access to inclusive sports opportunities, advocating for better support in places such as the TeamUCL gym. To give the best opportunity for all students to develop and maintain their wellbeing whilst studying.
Students should vote for me because I understand the importance of accessibility and will work to improve disabled students’ access to sports and campus facilities. I will push for further student consultation in UCL’s refurbishment projects to ensure accessibility needs are met whilst works are carried out and advocate for better support of students with fluctuating or invisible disabilities. Most importantly, I want to create a stronger sense of community within the Network, offering more opportunities for engagement and support of disabled students’ achievements.
Hailing from a disability advocacy background, as well as working in several EDI initiatives prior, I bring an experienced, yet flexible mind to this role. I am able to effectively straddle the line between being blunt when bringing up an issue and being personable and approachable when interacting with my community. I also have unparalleled organisation skills and would describe my problem solving style as holistic, being unafraid to explore different avenues and try unconventional methods.
If I were to be elected, I would make a conscious effort to collaborate with the disabled students network to be a bridge between community and faculty, even pushing them to be more at the forefront as I believe their work to be invaluable. I would also attempt to shift the culture at UCL surrounding disabled people, where we are truly perceived as worthy and less dismissed in matters concerning equity. This parallels UCL's confrontation with their eugenic past, and this past underpins the ableism of present day, where ableism is ubiquitous in society, although not glaringly obvious at first.
Should I be appointed, I will cultivate a space where people are free without fear of being held in contempt. Manifold experiences have moulded me to be altruistic, and I am an unshakeable person with passion that bleeds into the heart of everything I touch and do. I would be deeply honoured to foster a sense of unity and act as a staunch voice for all disabled people at UCL.
Hey! I am Danilo and I am running to be your Disabled Students Officer! I have been part of the DSN committee for the past few years and have been trying to keep the network afloat this year. Through my role in the network and my own experiences, I know many of the difficulties that we as disabled students face at UCL and I want to help ensure that I can help create change in UCL. I have a lot of experience as Welfare Officer of the DSN and leading the Autism Society, alongside being LGBTQ+ Officer. I also have strong connections to UCL SSW and the Disability Team and external organisations.
1.) Support all members of the DSN and lead regular Drop-In sessions
2.) Conduct investigations into accessibility at UCL, including SoRAs not being respected and the lack of accessible classrooms/buildings
3.) Create a "Neurodivergent Network" to run alongside the DSN
4.) Help start to create specific groups for specific conditions, medications & disabilities
5.) Create a "Disability Participation Fund" to help more students get involved in SU activities
6.) Run at least 1 in-person and 1 online event each week
7.) Help create and introduce accessibility training for staff and students
And much more
I will strive my hardest to help create positive change in UCL for disabled students and staff. I will also ensure that the DSN flourishes by supporting members and hosting regular accessible and welcoming events so that students can enjoy their time at university. I have a lot of experience through leading the network this year and various other committee positions throughout my time at UCL and thus I believe that I will be able to help the DSN be the best it can be. Moreover, I will always be there for all of our members and support, listen and signpost where I can, and represent you all.
Hello, I'm Adam.
I've struggled with the three Ds (dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia) from a young age. For a while I went about life without knowing this, until I was about 11 and it got picked up by a new teacher at school. Sometimes slow-processing disorders are seen as "not a real disabilty" or mocked as made up, but they're real, and I can empathise with anyone who has a stumbling blocks in their life, and I can promise to help you, whether you are an access-needs community member, neurodivergent, or mobility-impaired.
I have three areas of concern that I would like UCL and the SU to improve on next year:
- SoRAs: The SoRA backlog is massive, taking ages for people who need support to qualify get one, sometimes taking up to 18 months! I think that a letter from your previous place of study, stating the adjustments they made, especially if reassessed before A-Levels (or equivalent) should be enough for a SoRa.
- Support: Although there is supposed to be support for disabled students, this is very hard to find information on, and even harder to get. I want the SU and UCL to commit to providing better support.
Theres a word limit for the section above, but my third concern is over ensuring there are more places/events to socialise for neurodivergent people.
I am a fighter - and I want to fight for you.
I can promise that I will support anyone who has struggles getting their workflow done and socialising will have me in their corner. If you have a suggestion on how the SU can improve, I will turn that into a reasonable plan for implementation, and I will NOT STOP BUGGING THEM until they implement your idea.